Jump to content

Augeas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Augean)

In Greek mythology, Augeas (or Augeias, /ɔːˈəs/, ‹See Tfd›Greek: Αὐγείας), whose name means "bright", was king of Elis and father of Epicaste. Some ancient authors say that Augeas was one of the Argonauts.[1] He is known for his stables, which housed the single greatest number of cattle in the country and had never been cleaned, until the time of the great hero Heracles. The derivative adjective augean came to signify a challenging task, typically improving or fixing something that is currently in a bad condition.[2][3]

Family

[edit]

Augeas's lineage varies in the sources: he was said to be either the son of Helios[4] either by Nausidame[5] or Iphiboe,[6] or of Eleios,[7] or of Poseidon, or of Phorbas and Hyrmine.[8] In the latter account, Augeas was probably the brother of Actor,[9] Tiphys[10] and Diogeneia.[11] His children were Epicaste, Phyleus, Agamede,[12] Agasthenes,[13] and Eurytus.[14]

Comparative table of Augeas' family
Relation Names Sources
Homer Theocritus Apollonius Diodorus Strabo Apollodorus Orphic Argo Pausanias Hyginus Tzetzes
Parents Helios
Phorbas and Hyrmine
Poseidon
Eleios
Helios and Nausidame
Phorbas
Helios and Iphiboe
Sibling Actor
Children Agasthenes
Agamede
Phyleus
Eurytus
Epicaste

Mythology

[edit]
Heracles rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus, to clean out the Augean stables. Roman mosaic, 3rd century AD.

The fifth Labour of Heracles (Hercules in Latin) was to clean the Augean (/ɔːˈən/) stables. Eurystheus intended this assignment both as humiliating (rather than impressive, like the previous labours) and as impossible, since the livestock were divinely healthy (immortal) and therefore produced an enormous quantity of dung (ἡ ὄνθος). Those stables had not been cleaned in over thirty years,[15] and 3,000 cattle lived there. However, Heracles succeeded by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash out the filth.

Augeas reacted angrily because he had promised Heracles one tenth of his cattle if the job was finished in one day. He refused to honour the agreement, and Heracles killed him after completing the tasks. Heracles gave his kingdom to Phyleus, Augeas' son, who had been exiled for supporting Heracles against his father.

According to the odes of the poet Pindar, Heracles then founded the Olympic Games:

the games which by the ancient tomb of Pelops the mighty Heracles founded, after that he slew Kleatos, Poseidon's godly son, and slew also Eurytos, that he might wrest from tyrannous Augeas against his will reward for service done.[16]

Eurystheus discounted the success of this labour because the rushing waters had done the work of cleaning the stables and because Heracles was paid. Stating that Heracles still had seven labours to do, Eurystheus then sent Heracles to defeat the Stymphalian Birds.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Apollodorus, 1.9.16; Hyginus, Fabulae 14
  2. ^ Augean, Cambridge Dictionary, Retrieved November 7 2024
  3. ^ Augean, Merriam-Webster, Retrieved November 7 2024
  4. ^ Eustathius ad Homer, p. 303; Scholia ad Apollonius Rhodius, 1.172; Apollodorus, 1.9.16
  5. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 14
  6. ^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 4.361
  7. ^ Pausanias, 5.1.9
  8. ^ Apollodorus, 2.88
  9. ^ Pausanias, 5.1.11.
  10. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 14
  11. ^ Eustathius on Homer, pp. 303 & 1598
  12. ^ Homer, Iliad 11.740; Hyginus, Fabulae 157
  13. ^ Homer, Iliad 2.624
  14. ^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.33.3
  15. ^ Strouf, Judie L. H. (2005). The literature teacher's book of lists. Jossey-Bass. p. 13. ISBN 0787975508.
  16. ^ Pindar, The Extant Odes of Pindar, Project Gutenberg.

References

[edit]